If you are worried about developing prostate cancer, take this preventative step from the comfort of your own bedroom!

Several studies have linked frequent ejaculation during sex, masturbation, or while sleeping – to reduced risk of prostate cancer.

According to a 2016 study published in the journal European Urology, ejaculation can make a huge difference in preventing prostate cancer.

Researchers surveyed 32,000 men from 1992 to 2010 and found that participants who reported ejaculating at least 21 times per month during their 20s were 19% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who ejaculated 7 times per month or less.

This is not the first time researchers have studied how ejaculation affects cancer risk. In 2003, a team of Australian researchers compared ejaculation frequency among 2,300 men – half of whom had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The results showed that ejaculating five to seven times per week were 36% less likely to develop prostate cancer compared to those who ejaculated less than two times per week.

While the results have been consistent, researchers aren’t completely sure why ejaculating seems to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Ejaculation does seem to be a measure of overall health status in that men who are at the very low end of ejaculation (zero to three times per month) were more likely to have other medical problems and die prematurely from causes other than prostate cancer.

Further research is needed to identify the biological mechanism responsible for reducing the risk.

Ariana Marisolis a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She graduated The Evergreen State College with an undergraduate degree focusing on Sustainable Design and Environmental Science.